Washed Yirgacheffe Aricha Idido/Aricha Coffee Beans - The Difference and Relationship Between Aricha and Idido

What actually separates a natural Yirgacheffe from a washed one? FrontStreet Coffee breaks it down below.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Aricha G1

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Yirgacheffe Gediyo

Altitude: 1900-2100 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Heirloom

Producer: Kebel Aricha

Flavor: Light fermented wine aroma, sweet citrus, spices, honey sweetness

This FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe lot is produced at the Kebel Aricha processing station, where roughly 650-700 smallholder farmers from the surrounding area deliver ripe cherries for processing in exchange for cash. Once the station screens the usable cherries, they go straight onto drying racks. During the first days of drying the cherries are turned every 2-3 hours to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation; after four to six weeks of sun-drying, workers scrape off the outer pulp with machines, depending on weather and temperature, then move the beans to Addis Ababa for storage. Typically, beans are stored in parchment and hulled only just before export to protect quality. This lot earned G1 from ECX—the highest grade—excelling from green bean appearance, consistency, and freshness to dry aroma and flavor. If you love bright acidity and rich berry fruit, do not miss it.

Flavor Description: Light fermented wine aroma, date jujube, sweet citrus notes, dark berries, lychee, starfruit, peach, nectarine, longan and red jujube aroma, honey sweetness, cocoa undertones with hints of spices, full body with long-lasting aftertaste

The Difference and Relationship Between Aricha and Idido

The Aricha processing station sits in Yirgacheffe's most famous micro-region—Misty Valley. Aricha was originally named Idido and was owned at the time by the renowned Abdullah Bagersh. Coffee from Bagersh was labeled Idido Misty Valley (IMV), and the burlap bags bore a prominent "Bagersh" mark that all but guaranteed top-quality Ethiopian coffee. Times have changed, and the Aricha/Idido station is no longer Bagersh's. But according to visits by Sweet Maria's, since most local employees were retained, his processing procedures and standards have largely been preserved—along with the quality.

About Project Origin

Sasa Sestic, 2015 World Barista Champion, started a green bean sourcing project called Project Origin with his business team at ONA Coffee. The project works directly with coffee farmers in poorer regions to improve production conditions and pays purchase prices 20% above fair trade rates.

The project also aims to strengthen the link between roasters and farmers and guide growers toward higher-quality coffee. To date, Sasa has built relationships with growers from eight countries, including Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Aricha opened the door to Yirgacheffe for you, FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe daily bean is the essential next step—and the most affordable. Known for white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a light tea-like body, it has become the first specialty bean for countless coffee drinkers.

To go deeper into the region's villages, try the FrontStreet Idido Cooperative from the Woka area at Yirgacheffe's southeastern edge. Once part of the Woka cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Union (YCFCU), it became a sought-after "single region" as buyers chased traceability. Its traditional washed processing yields no trace of the old rubbery bitterness—just fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity wrapped in jasmine fragrance, the cup that makes people fall for Yirgacheffe at first sip.

And for the natural side of the same terroir, FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry uses only fully ripe, defect-free cherries, dried three to five weeks on raised beds and turned every 2-3 hours at the start. It keeps classic Yirgacheffe character while layering on tropical fruit: citrus acidity, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness. To brew any of them, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a V60 with 15g of coffee at a fine-granulated-sugar grind (80% pass through a #20 sieve), 90-91°C water at 1:15—bloom 30g for 30 seconds, pour to 125g within a minute, finish with 100g more by about 1:35, and draw off between 2:00 and 2:10.